St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-11-26
FOUR HANGED.
TIE LAWS SENTENCE CARRIED
INTO EFFECT IN CHICAGO.
Anarchists Spies EnGol, Fischer and Par
sons Meet Death with Bravado-Lingg
Blows off His Eead-~cIwab and Fieiden
Sent to the Pcnitentilry for Life.

August Spies, A. X. Parsons, Adolph
have met the death penalty for the part
they took in the murder Of the Chicago
policemen, on that memorable night at
the lIavmarket The last words Of the
doomed were:
Spics-Thcrc will come a time when
our silence will be more powerful than
the voices they are otran-lng TO death
now.
Engcl-IIurrah for Anarchy
Fischcr-lIurrah for Anarchy! This
is the happiest moment Of my life.
Parsons-May | be allowed to speak ,
viii you let me speak, Sheriff Matson :?
Let the voice of the people be heard
None of the threats Of the Anarchists
and other svmpathi/cr- have been thus
far carried out, nor are they likely to be.
\ few bombs We're found by the police,
but not near the residences of any of the
officials instrumental in the conviction
or execution Of the murdcrcrs The day
passed IiIore quietly than the authorities
had anticipated But few arrests were
made. The rahid Socialists and AnarCh
;,+, ,,o,,t .In,a j., ,lair s,1oor Tha
,,:.,;',
CONSTR ''''' '''' "'''''> " '''''".'o'''
had niue interest IN the ahalf,
and little sympathy with the
mountaineering dynamite lot whose
doiug~ have cast such odium on Social
;, 9,la ,,rol.,n+;o,,.. +..l.on h,. +bo M
. ISM ~ precautions '"Nen W III '' ::
thori'i"~ were "eiL-'liN'''' 'HooSh d. 1t
fortunately turned ou!, were not re
CURED. Not a shot wa, fired from the
hundreds Of rifles that projected the iaiI
,,I ,,lor ,;+,. ,,r,.,..,.,,. .,1 +no rS;
'''''' t''l
licences Vi 'he oil''I"L7 anu 'ile Jury men
who convicted the murdererS. The flnd-
ing Of bomb in the garden of one OF
the urvmcn is evidence that there are a
few Of the Parsons gang still abroad, who
will share his fate if they attempt to
solve the social problem with the bomb.
The gaIloWs on which the three Italian
murderer~ We're hanged some time ago
served well for the four Anarchists
Sheriff Nat>on had provided se\ en- ropes,
and enlarged the scattold to accommo-
date that number, 50 that there was plenty
Of room to spare on the platform of the
engine of death. The hardened conscl-
ences and brayadO of the men hanged
was unsurpassed in criminal annals of
this section Of the country.
Engel actually laughed outright when
the shroud was being placed on him on
the galloWs
Spies smiled and bllnked his eyes at
the reporters.
Parsons drew down his lip and ele-
waited his eyes skyWard to initiate the air
of a martyr.
Fischer appeared indifferent. There
were no prayers, no singing of hymns,
no invocation made TO the Almighty for
these murderers, who were about to leap
into eternity with laugh on their i'm
pious lips. They spurned the clergymen
who humbly offered to pray for them,
and one Of them told the man of God
that he had better pray for himSelf-that
he needed prayer more than they did.
The execution, conducted by Sheriff
Matson and his assistants, passed off
smoothly. The only witnesses were the
members of the jury, the representatives
of the press and the prison officials. The
drop fell at 11.14 and in thirteen and
one half minutes life was extinct. The
traps, as prearranged fell simultaneously,
and the bodies of the four Anarchists
shot downward. Engel, who was the
feeblest of the lot died without a strug-
Gle. Fischer's body swung around sew
eral times with commissions.
Spies and Parsons appeared to die
hard, and their struggles were not even
concealed by the heavy shrouds they
were. After the bodies were cut down,
it was found that all four had died of
strangulation. Not one of their necks
was broken. The shrouds were smade
of white cotton goods, and were sewed
bv the female prisoners in the Jail, under
the direction of the matron. During the
execution a dozen companies of police
men. twentv-six men in each squad, and
armed with rifles and pistols, were
formed in lines in the streets about the
Jail building, and no one was allowed to
pass the line. All the entrances to the
prison were closely guarded from within
and without.
The condemned men slept but little
during their last night, though Parsons
and Fischer lay down for several hours.
Spies paced his cell with his arms folded
across his breast the first part of the
night He seemed to be thinking of Nina,